Speedy: I am sure we all like to know what our Batchmates are up to these days. Members of our batch in Sri Lanka continue to do many noteworthy and newsworthy things. Our indefatigable Pram has always been very actively involved in these and she took on a hugely important and responsible task in Sri Lanka very recently. Let Pram talk for herself! Over to you Pram.
Pram: Thank you for your kind words Speedy.
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| Lord Naseby. G.L.Peiris and Pram |
I have known Lord Naseby for about 10 years. He has recently written a book entitled “Sri Lanka Paradise: Lost Paradise regained” which was launched in the UK last year. He was very keen to have a SL edition printed and launched in SL. He really did not have anyone to undertake this and without thinking of what it really entailed I volunteered to undertake this onerous task. I really didn't know what I was in for. I volunteered solely because of all that Lord Naseby has done and been to our motherland. It was my way of saying thank you to a true friend of SL. I was determined to ensure the launch in SL was a great success, and if at all possible, better than the launch at the House of Lords. I invited many of my batchmates and was very pleased that Lama, Rani and Indra Anadasabapathy, Lucky and Mangala and Palitha Abeykoon were able to come. Our friend N.D (Amaresekera) is familiar with what Lord Naseby had done for SL He bought 2 books from me and I had them specially autographed by Lord Naseby.
I was in the UK from January to March 2022.During this time I was working long hours via emails and phone calls planning the event which was held on the 29th March 2022 at the BMICH. The planning entailed not only the logistics of sending out almost 500 e-invitations and taking care of the RSVPs, arranging the programme, ensuring security for VIPS, hiring drummers and dancers, taking care of refreshments etc but also in assisting the printers and publishers making sure the quality of the document was maintained, ensuring the paper was of the right weight etc (we ran into many snags including unavailability of good quality paper due to import bans etc).
Tuesday the 29th March 2022 arrived, a beautiful sunny day. It brought together some 400 dignitaries to the Sapphire banquet hall at the BMICH from all walks of life with the single purpose of being present at the launch of Lord Naseby's book, saluting a man who has blessed our Nation with his love, compassion and consistent support: to hear him speak about the book, meeting him in person and picking up the book personally signed by him.
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Indra Anandasabapathy and wife Rani |
Here is an account of the event written by Sir Ian Jennings who was present.
“The Rt Hon, the Lord Naseby, PC was on good form at the launch of his book, “Sri Lanka Paradise Lost - Paradise Regained,” in the packed Sapphire Banquet Hall at the BMICH on Tuesday 29 March. We were privileged to listen to a wonderful synopsis of Lord Naseby’s life and career with special reference to Sri Lanka.
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| Lama, Prof.Jennifer Perera (former Dean,medical fac), Dr.Kalyani Guruge(public relations officer - SLMA) |
Lord Naseby’s connection with Sri Lanka goes back to 1963 when he was transferred to Colombo from Calcutta to take up the position as South Asia Marketing Manager for Reckitt and Coleman. As Lord Naseby recalled, although his stay in Sri Lanka was less than one year he travelled to, and discovered, more parts of Sri Lanka than most Sri Lankans. The result being he fell in love with Sri Lanka and that love has lasted a lifetime.
In 1974 the then Michael Morris was elected to the UK Parliament as a Conservative Party MP. Soon afterwards he formed the “All Party British Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group” together with the Labour Party MP Betty Boothroyd. The aim was understanding, maintaining cordial relations with and supporting Sri Lanka.
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| Lord Naseby |
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| Dr.Palitha Abeykoon and Dr,Ruvaiz Haniffa. (Former president SLMA) |
Following the speeches, Lord Naseby signed and dedicated copies of his book whilst chatting amiably with those present.
A very pleasant afternoon with Lord Naseby. May he continue to campaign for the
interest of Sri Lanka during these difficult times. Lord Michael Naseby is,
indeed, “a true friend of Sri Lanka. (Drafted by Sir Ian G Jennings).
Added on 20.5.2022.
Pram Oh yes, one thing I did not mention was that whenever I met Lord Naseby at the House of Lords and had a meal we ended up having a "House of Lords" Chocolate. I wanted to do one better. So I had an excellent Sri Lankan Chocolatier Shiran DeSilva make a small chocolate slab and had a wrapper cover it The wrapper had on it the cover of Lord Naseby's book with his name printed on it . He was thrilled .it also provided an opportunity to promote what can be done in SL
Excellent chocolate and beautiful artwork I will add a photo of the Chocolate. Every guest was given a chocolate!
Pram, Congratulations on getting this event organized, especially during these times with unrest , shortages and restrictions. I am not familiar with Lord Naseby's work on behalf of Sri Lanka. No surprise since I live on the other side of "The Pond!" I'm sorry that I missed you while I was in Colombo. I left in March just before you returned, I think. I was amused to read your comment on G.L. Pieris' speech!
ReplyDelete"However, that response was short on ‘reflections’ and long on political dialogue"
He is an old Thomian, former classmate of one of my brothers. He was a brilliant student at STC but the Thomians are not so proud of him, from what I have heard.
GL Pieris reminds me of a chameleon. I can also picture him getting up in the morning and looking at his mirror admiringly and saying to himself, "i am a clever bugger, aren't I !"
DeleteMahen, you are probably correct!
DeleteHey sriyani you didn't contact me when in SL
DeleteSorry about that Nithya. I will send you an email about my very strange stay in Colombo!
DeleteThanks dear Srianee, the event went off very well .Really sorry to missed you .Were you in SL you could. have been invited to the event One thing I did not mention was that whenever I met Lord Naseby at the House of Lords and had a meal we ended up having a "House of Lords" Chocolate. I wanted to do one better .So I had an excellent Sri Lankan Chocolatier Shiran DeSilva make a small chocolate slab and had a wrapper cover it The wrapper had on it the cover of Lord Naseby's book with his name printed on it .He was thrilled .it also provided an opportunity to promote what can be done in SL .Excellent chocolate and beautiful art work I will add a photo of the Chocolate.Every guest was given a chocolate!!
ReplyDeleteHi Pram congratulations on your successful venture on the launch of Lord Naesby' s book.
DeleteI am sorry that I was not invited to the event. Had we been we would not have mussed it as Mahendra. and I have known him from the time when he was known as Micheal Morris !
The first intimation I had of this event was when I saw a post on fb with Jennifer Peters and Kalyani Guruge.
I happy that it all went well but sad that I was missed out
Pram a job well done as always congratulations
DeletePram
ReplyDeleteHeartiest congratulations for this daunting task. I am proud of you as a batch mate. Well done !
I am very sorry I couldn't attend.
The month of March was a very bad month for us.
My son Anju's son 9 year old brought Corona from his school St. Thomas Prep. Col petty. His daughter 5 year old got infected. Later my son and daughter in law got infected. Since they all were in and out from our place we refrained from going anywhere.
When Lucky invited us for dinner, when Bunter was here, we had to decline the invitation. I had to explain the situation to Lucky and Bunter.
Pram continue with your good work. I know your capabilities. Wish you all the best.
Chira
Chira, sorry to hear about your Corona experience. Hope it is all in the past now.
DeleteMahendra
DeleteThanks for your comment. It was a terrible time. The little girl got asthma too with Corona. Luckily Ranjit and I didn't get Corona.
It is all in the past and we are all ok. Thank God for that.
Chira
FROM LIONEL SAMARASINGHE
ReplyDeleteThank you Mahendra. Lord Naseby is a true friend of Srilanka. In fact in a recent debate in the House of Lords he stated that the British Govt must act to help the current difficulties faced by the country than mere statements of support at present.
When the book was launched in the House of Commons I was there and had two books signed by him.
Once again thank you for sending that article. Pram too is a friend who does a lot of charity work for the downtrodden in Sri Lanka.
Kind regards
Lionel
Pram:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. That must have been a Herculean task. You undertook and executed it splendidly. As usual you attended to every detail meticulously.
I am delighted to hear that the book launch was a success. Like many Sri Lankans across the world, I consider Lord Naseby to have a genuine love for Sri Lanka and all her people. Someone who has taken a non partisan approach when dealing with Sri Lankan problems. It is evident he sees Sri Lanka’s potential and genuinely wishes her to develop and prosper.
In a lighter vein, I would like to highlight an amusing incident from the book “Sri Lanka: Paradise Lost Paradise Regained”. Mrs Thatcher (as Prime Minister) was invited to the inauguration of the Victoria Dam. Lord Naseby, then Michael Morris MP, was too in attendance. A lunch was organized at the Governor General’s house in Kandy. Whilst the guests were having lunch, President JR, arranged for a tusker elephant to be on parade. JR suggested to Dennis Thatcher that he feed the elephant a bunch of bananas. As Mr Thatcher was stuffing the bunch in the opening of the trunk, Mrs Thatcher yelled out, “Dennis, not the trunk you idiot but the mouth!” The elephant was getting asphyxiated and blasted the bananas in the air as if they were cannon balls. Everyone collapsed with laughter with smashed up bits of banana on their tables.
Dear Pram
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to hear from you and your efforts to support Lord Naseby’s book. The book is beautifully written with great honesty and love for Sri Lanka. For a foreigner his deep knowledge of every facet and feature of the country including the politics of those troubled times simply astounds me. I first came across Lord Naseby when he was the Chairman of Governors of my son’s school at Bedford. Being a past student of that great school established in 1592, he gave it his all for which his presence was much valued and greatly respected. My grateful thanks to Pram for getting me the signed copies of this valued book. My sons appreciate your kindness and they now occupy pride of place on their bookshelves.
It breaks my heart to think its Paradise Lost again for my beloved country now virtually on its knees with a begging bowl. Having lived in exile for half a century I do not have the knowledge nor the expertise to apportion blame. Sri Lanka remains an enigma to many. We have so many intelligent and able men and women in every walk of life. They are ever willing to support the country. But yet we are unable to elect a government that can unite the communities and manage our politics and finances sensibly. I have witnessed the spiral of decline since independence. This gives the impression; we cannot govern ourselves or has democracy simply failed in Sri Lanka. Or is it a mixture of both? The reason for the present crisis eludes me. My heart bleeds to see the hardship and suffering of my people.
I was born in Kandy, that charming citadel in the hills. But I never had the good fortune to live there. I couldn’t have had a better education anywhere else in the world. I make no excuses for disliking the politics in Sri Lanka since those early days. Despite my long years in exile every aspect of my country including its music, language and culture are closely linked to my soul.
Our history goes back 2500 years. Marco Polo said that Sri Lanka was the finest island in the whole world. The Arab traveller, Ibn Batuta and the Chinese visitor Fa-Hsien waxed lyrical about the beauty of the country and its people. So did Robert Knox much later on. The ancient Greeks called it Taprobane, perhaps derived from the Sinhala word Tambapaṇṇī. The ancient Persians and Arabs called it Serendib for its peaceful beauty. To my mind Ceylon/Sri Lanka will always remain the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Our finances may be a tragic mess but no one can take away the ancient culture and the pristine natural beauty of my beloved country. Perhaps the Gods made Sri Lanka look like a tear drop to symbolise the current suffering which seems to me, endless.
Nihal, a very thoughtful and if I may say, emotional missive from you. Many of us who had to leave our Motherland for various reasons continue to harbour a feeling of guilt which is impossible to get rid of totally. Humans are shaped more by culture than even genes and the most crucial time in our lives is the early years. We realise this and we do our best to have a more global and "humankind" attitude which helps to alleviate this to some extent.
DeleteSri Lanka is indeed a very special to us. Unfortunately it has never had the good fortune of being ruled, or should I say managed, by efficient and competent people. The sadness is that such people do exist but they are not in the ruling class. I don't think that those who chose to live abroad should harbour guilt feelings as we have contributed so much to haumanity (which is global after all) and to Sri Lanka in so many ways. The collective consciousness of Sri Lankan minds and their contribution to a better world is truly remarkable.
To me Sri Lanka is precious as I was born and mouled there. To me, it is neither blessed nor a chosen land. Such beliefs in my view are narrow and does not contribute to Peace and Harmony. All human beings are precious and all of Mother Earth is precious.
Finally, I deeply admire people like Pram who uses her immense organisational skills, resources and energy to help so many not just in Sri Lanka but elsewhere as well. We are very proud of you Pram
Dear Friends, All of us should be very proud of Pram's singular contribution to the book launch.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I openly quote Sri Lanka as an excellent example of a failed democracy. Since 1948, whoever governed the country, has plundered it ,perhaps to lesser extent by the first post-independent government.
May I suggest major reforms for the future ,so as to get out of the present mess
1. Minimal educational qualification (A level), to contest
2.Age less than 65 years
3. Personal election expenditure to be transparent and audited
4. No crossing over
5. Eligibility for a pension, only after five years
6. No family members to be employed as personal staff
7. Conviction for a criminal offence, prevents contesting
8. Drastic reduction in privileges, number of vehicles, security staff, allowances for fuel, phones etc.
9.Subsidies for food in the parliament canteen to be reduced.
Perhaps, if these are in place, many of the present lot would not wish to contest!
Sanath
DeleteI agree with your brilliant suggestions although implementing them will be a gargantuan task even if a few have the will to do it. Bribery corruption and nepotism is a serious problem in many South Asian countries. An Independent judiciary is essential for the smooth running of a country. The importance of public service, honesty and integrity should be taught at schools and colleges. Education is the key for change. The power of the politicians have to interfere with the smooth running of the government departments must be stopped.
These perhaps will not happen in our lifetime but now is a good time to plan for a brighter future.
Any right thinking person will concur with you Sanath. You are another person our Batch is so proud of because of the great contribution you have made and are continuing to make, to Medical Education in Sri Lanka. It is a pity that capable people like you are not in the Political scene although I don't blame you for one moment for not entering those murky waters full of sharks and parasites.
DeleteSanath I agree 100 percent with you
DeleteOnly Pram who could have handled this mammoth task single handed and brought it to this very successful conclusion. I have always been aware of her amazing organizational skills -Pram, Well done.
ReplyDeleteRohini